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RCGP members: Health Bill should be dropped

RCGP members: Health Bill should be dropped
12 October 2011



Nearly three-quarters of the members of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ with the view the Health Bill should be withdrawn.

In the third survey of its kind in assessing RCGP members’ views on the Health Bill, 93% of respondents said they do not feel reassured by the government’s response.

Over 90% also claimed their support for the reforms remained either unchanged (63.5%) or had decreased  (29.2%).

Nearly three-quarters of the members of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) either ‘strongly agree’ or ‘agree’ with the view the Health Bill should be withdrawn.

In the third survey of its kind in assessing RCGP members’ views on the Health Bill, 93% of respondents said they do not feel reassured by the government’s response.

Over 90% also claimed their support for the reforms remained either unchanged (63.5%) or had decreased  (29.2%).

Out of those members by the RCGP whether they personally wished to be involved on the board of a clinical commissioning group, only 16.1% said yes and 70% said they would not.

“The College has made its support for placing GPs at the heart of the health service clear, but the results of this snapshot survey are impossible to ignore,” said Dr Clare Gerada, RCGP Chair.

“The majority of respondents still have concerns about commercialisation, increased bureaucracy and standards of patient care that the Government has not allayed. 

“With the Bill making its way through the House of Lords, it is important that peers have as much information as possible so that they can ask the relevant questions, and make informed choices about what happened next.”

Over half of the respondents believe the health reforms will increase the involvement of the private sector and 43% are not convinced they will reduce bureaucracy in the NHS.

A meagre 4% of those surveyed said the reforms would lead to better care for patients.

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